Middle-earth Journeys

more news about John Howe !

IDEACITY ON LINE

With the kind permission of IdeaCity, JH put the first-ever video on his site. Something about pencils... Here and enjoy the video it's great! very interresting


and more...

a company called Galatia Films would do a production called "Reclaiming the Blade". The film is narrated by John Rhys-Davis, and has interviews with all manner of famous people who fiddle around with sharp pointy things.
With folks like Peter Johnsson, John Howe, Bob Anderson, John Waller and others participating, not to mention the likes of the Royal Armouries and the Weta Workshop, a rich program...
Reclaiming the Blade - here

Thanks Cheyenne ! I've finally had time to watch the John Howe talk and it's wonderful. I urge anyone interested in John Howe's art and art in general to listen. I love his reminder that we all drew up to the age of five or so and then many of us lost it along the way. But we all started out as artists.

His analogies between his drawing book as one of the earliest laptops and his pen as a piece of software upgraded from 2B to 4B is very, very funny and makes some good points along the way. I use the 'eraser' programme quite frequently .

Depsite his terrible 'nerves' about doing the talk and being a man who draws because he 'cannot find words', it's delightful.

There is a marvelous artist by the name of Matt Stewart who has done this extraordinary piece of Arwen and Aragorn meeting in Lothlorien.

© Matt Stewart

But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow.

© J.R.R.Tolkien

Very nice! Good Aragorn, don't you think? I'm going to look for more of his stuff.

Look here Merry.

Matt Stewart

Thanks for the link, RR. Very much influenced by the films, weren't they?

Yes, I believe so too, although the Arwen/Aragorn in Lothlorien piece strays outside that subject matter in theme. But Stewart's Aragorn does look a wee bit like you know who.

Yes, indeed!

Maybe that's why I like it so much !

What a beautiful painting . The clothes and the dappled light in Lothlorien are just how I imagined it. Very appropriate for our 'Lothlorien' LOTR chapter discussion. I also love 'Hope Returns' with Faramir and Eowyn on his website.

Adding my thanks for the link Riv! The artworks are all stunning!

Looking at "Hope Returns" again, it's very Pre-Raphaelite with more than a hint of Burn-Jones. And "Honor Restored" is wonderful with Merry and Pippin taking refuge by the tree with Boromir standing staunchly in front of them.

I rather like "I Am No Man!" although I wish they hadn't monkeyed with Tolkien's text for that line: "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman . . . Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."

I have always loved Tolkien's description of Eowyn's confrontation with the Lord of the Nazgul. I REALLY wish PJ had used the incredible line, "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!" Come to think of it, I really wish he had left the entire scene intact as Tolkien wrote it. Far, far more powerful than the simplified and abridged (and inaccurate!) version we get in the film.

This is a nice painting indeed, showing Eowyn in her golden glory against the blackness of the Morgul Lord, with his invisible head beneath his crown. Why didn't PJ do that? Much spookier than a big black spiked helmet.

I agree completely, Lindariel . . . AND another thing that should have been included is that Eowyn LAUGHED! either at the Witchking or at the pun, or both. I think the line is something like it was the strangest sound that could have been heard at that horrible battlefield.

I think someone (much more advanced than I at this point) should try to do "Begone foul dwimmerlaik..."

Ah, yes!

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."

The winged creature screamed at her, but the Ringwraith made no answer, and was silent, as if in sudden doubt.

And I love Merry's response:

Pity filled his heart and great wonder, and suddenly the slow-kindled courage of his race awoke. He clenched his hand. She should not die, so fair, so desperate! At least she should not die alone, unaided.

Ah, there it is again -- Pity!

The more I read and re-read this scene, the more flabbergasted I am that PJ & Co. tinkered with it at all. Shooting it as written wouldn't have taken any more time than their extended battle scene and recrafted language.

I was also pretty disgusted that PJ had Eowyn show fear when the Morgul Lord advanced with his mace. Clearly, in the Professor's rendering of the scene, Eowyn is fearless -- weeping for the death of her uncle and king -- but fearless in the face of death. She is SEEKING death. I like this painting because it shows us a fearless Eowyn protecting and honoring the body of her fallen lord.